Backgrounder: China's past 13 military parades
- Source: Xinhua
- [22:34 September 09 2009]
- Comments
1984: 35TH ANNIVERSARY
The parade that year was reviewed by then Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Deng Xiaoping.
Forty-two square arrays, formed by 10,370 soldiers, marched through Tian'anmen Square. A total of 117 aircraft flew over the square in four echelons.
There were also 189 missiles, 205 tanks and armored vehicles, 126 artillery pieces, 18 rocket-delivered mine layers, 6,429 small arms, and 2,216 vehicles.
On display were 28 categories of weaponry, all of which were domestically made, including 19 categories of new armament, highlighting China's capabilities in national defense.
This parade showed the country's latest-generation weaponry and received world attention.
1999: 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Then CMC Chairmen Jiang Zemin, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President at that time, reviewed the troops taking part in the parade celebrating the country's 50th birthday.
On display were 17 square arrays of soldiers and 25 armored vehicle phalanxes that marched through the Tian'anmen Square. The number of flying phalanxes increased to ten from four in 1984.
The new structure of the parade showed the PLA's optimized formation.
Units such as army aviation, marine corps, special armed police corps and reserve duty, all established after the initiation of the reform and opening-up drive in 1979, were for the first time present in the parade.
A total of 40 of the 42 kinds of large armament were brought to the stage for the first time. Only two of them had been displayed in the 35th anniversary parade.
More than 90 percent of the equipment was newly-developed, the most advanced in the PLA history.
Compared to the 35th anniversary parade 15 years ago, the 1999 one boasted a large contingent of defense-related technology.
Hi-tech armament had become major weapons, most of which were homegrown.
